Categories: AnnouncementCommentaryEnvironmentRock n SurfSouthCoastSpearfishing

National Garrick Day

Pierre and the Garricks

National Garrick Day

It’s all about the garrick on the lower south coast of KZN, as they are being spotted and shot at, any point a spearo swims out to. They are in shoals and averaging about 8 to 10kg’s and marauding the plentiful shad and other baitfish in the backline.

Pierre de Villers from the Cape pilgrims up to the south coast of KZN each year, to get shots like this and to shoot the odd Garrick. Thanks for the pic Pierre!

Carl Gous (as usual), got his two in the bag on Friday, and tussled with three more as the excellent and ruthless fighters tried bending his spear inside out.

But it hasn’t been National Garrick Day yet. This happens on a rare day in September times, when the garrick come right in close, and into the estuaries, to spawn. After this big party, the fish are ravenous and will just about eat anything. That’s National Garrick Day, and there are sometimes two of them down here at The Sandspit, spaced about a week apart.

There is no early warning system in place for National Garrick Day, and the ones who find out first try keep it under wraps until word gets out and the floodgates open completely.

The following video was shot on National Garrick Day in 2008, and features some of the more (in)famous characters that fish The Sandspit and The Block all year round.

Enjoy!

Sean Lange

Anarchist random.

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View Comments

Lekker says:
February 5, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Thanks chaps the garrick never returned home down south after last run north to eat and breed. This year 2016/17 has been a no show. Seems too many got kept and shot last run up the coast. We release all of them down south, their numbers are severely depressed compared to years prior. Every sardine run they take a battering and do not recover. Awesome.
- Shonalanga says:
  February 7, 2017 at 7:14 am
  Howzit Lekker! One of my main motivations for running this rag, is to document everything, for future reference. Many thanks for your interest in our poor Garrick. And yes, the fact that you can't release a fish with a hole through it's head, is tough. But surely there must be a way of making it more sporting than perceivably, commercial. An idea for our spearfishing dilemma - put a GoPro on your gun. Put a tagging plate and tag on your spear. And start tagging like all the rest of us? Selectively spearfishing targets breeding stock. This is a problem. Especially during competitions, where the slaughter goes unchecked. Let's have our first tag and release spearfishing event? Fairs fair. - Sean